Dashing Devil Omnibus 1: Books 1-3, page 126
That’s why he’d wanted to save his spear, the balls simply didn’t have enough piercing power to get through the physical toughness of the dragon’s scales with the beast’s energy resistance overlaid on top of that. He could only get through the one layer with his available resources.
Another ball smacked into the thick bone along the top of the wing, glancing off the top but doing no noticeable damage. Another hit the massive creatures back, again bouncing off but hitting squarely enough that Boyd thought he saw a scale crack as the hardened and reinforced obsidian exploded into shards.
Boyd’s last throw was the winner, smashing into one of the small bones that supported the membrane in the last, outermost segment of its wing. The bone was close to the same thickness as the apple sized ball that impacted it with all the force Boyd’s A-Ranked strength could manage. It snapped cleanly and loudly, clearly audible at a hundred yards above the beast.
The cry of pain that followed was much louder as the dragon’s right wing snapped in against the beast and it began to drop in surprise. More avalanches and rockslides were triggered by its roar, and the massive beast crashing into the forested valley below likely qualified as an earthquake.
The dragon’s bulk crushed the trees and stone it landed on into dust and splinters that scattered into the air, hiding the beast from view. A sinking feeling filled Boyd and he reached for his shield a moment before a familiar dreadful sensation filled him. Silvie wasn’t dumb, she hadn’t left them hovering in the air and presenting an easy target. They'd wounded the beast, but that only made it more dangerous.
The dragon’s head shot out of the dust its crash landing created. Boyd got his shield up between them and the beast as it started spitting short bursts of its breath weapon at them rapid fire. Silvie blurred them out of the path of any that got close but couldn’t stay far enough away from all of them to protect Boyd fully.
The chunks of energy burned white-hot. Hot enough to make rock explode on contact and turn the rest of the mountain’s stone face into lava. That led to a fair amount of radiant heat. A few of the short beams that came close imparted enough raw heat to overcome Boyd’s natural resistance and sear his flesh.
The shield protected his torso to a limited extent, with Silvie’s body with her higher resistance doing the same for his back and the majority of his wings, as they remained tucked tightly in. The top joint of his wings, though, and from his knees down were seared badly enough that Boyd suspected he had at least second degree burns and some third-degree burns. This pain he bundled up with the ache the dragon’s cry had previously imparted.
Eventually, there was a pause and Boyd found that they were now closer to three hundred yards away as Silvie added some distance to give her more time to dodge each ten-foot-wide burst of energy that streaked through the air after them. Distance didn’t matter for his Mental Domination; it didn’t stop him from reaching for the dragon’s mind to slam a tether into place.
The dragon was old and had a strong mind, even if it only had limited intelligence. Mental Powers were the only ones that ever did anything to the creature, but the result was always muted, and it was always quick to overcome any form of control. The fact that Powereds with mental abilities typically lacked the durability to survive for long in its presence meant there were few recorded instances of sustained mind-powered attacks against it.
Both of them were in a desperate fight for survival—something that was likely new for the dragon. Boyd’s Power struggled to find purchase, but ultimately it was Boyd’s familiarity with things that could and wanted to kill him that won out. Its center was broken while Boyd’s remained firm. He used his desperation while the dragon’s desperation used it.
The tether connected and Boyd surged his accumulated pain and fear down it, driving it into the nearly indestructible beast’s mind. The dragon screamed again, thrashing about to try to destroy whatever was causing this pain. Boyd doubted it realized the pain originated in its own mind. After a moment of uselessly destroying tree and stone, it leaped into the air, winging awkwardly to the east.
The top third of its right wing was only partially extended, making its flight jerky and erratic. It was running away, though, that much was clear by the cries it released as it fled. A pleased smile came to his lips as Boyd noticed that its tail was even a little tucked under it.
He’d made the Last Dragon flee like a beaten dog.
Boyd’s smile faded as he remembered Silas’s loss and Sinoe’s uncertain state. He’d driven the dragon away, but their mission was, at best, only partially successful.
Chapter 51
“We did it?” Silvie asked, her voice filled with uncertainty, as the Last Dragon flapped away from them.
Boyd didn’t want to jinx it so just watched for another moment.
Then Silvie cheered, “We did it! We lived everyone, we’re okay and the dragon is running! Our man is that amazing, not even the Last Dragon can stop him.”
The comms exploded as Raev, Mindy, Tinker, and somewhat surprisingly Laura began speaking over each other. It was Tinker’s voice that contained the most relevant information as far as Boyd could tell.
“Tinker repeat,” he growled, “everyone else clear comms, mission still in progress.”
“The stealth drones are in pursuit; they were already in the area and should have no issue catching up to it,” Tinker expanded on her initial, much shorter report.
“Thank you, keep us posted,” Boyd rumbled as he took a deep breath, still carefully watching the retreating dragon until it rounded a mountain, and he could see it no more. “Silvie, we need to find Sinoe, we don’t know her status.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “For the rest of you, you should know that I don’t think Silas made it.”
“Oh, no!” Mindy’s voice came over the line in a gasp.
He suspected she’d been, at the least, occasional acquaintances with the couple who’d accepted the mission to be his guards, based on their prior interaction. Boyd hoped this loss wasn’t too big a blow for his soon to be lover.
He wasn’t sure what else to say, so stayed silent as Silvie flew them over to where they’d last seen Sinoe. He would have preferred to start flying himself, not enjoying being carried like this, but his wings had been disabled. He wouldn't want to fly on his own power for a while, not with the top joints badly burned like they were.
He didn’t want to look down at his lower legs, but based on the fact that he was suppressing a cold sensation in relation to a burn, it couldn’t be good. He knew he would heal, though, so it was a small price to pay to save a life. If only they’d been a little faster, it might have been two.
The ground was broken and charred where the dragon’s breath cut through it in the process of blasting Silas out of existence. Molten stone cooled in the center of the four-foot-deep crater, fading to orange as the heat dissipated and the stone solidified. Boyd spotted Sinoe kneeling at the edge of the channel the dragon’s breath weapon had cut into the mountain as it shifted towards where Silas had thrown her.
The deeply tanned beauty appeared unhurt but had collapsed on her knees and was hunched over with her face in her hands. Silvie set them down about ten feet away and he saw Sinoe stiffen. At the same time, he recognized his own inadvertent response to the gorgeous but grieving woman’s Power and stamped down hard on his Aura that had started to slip from his control.
Her head turned to regard them, tears streaming down her face, but anger in her eyes. “Get away from me!” she hissed.
Boyd was not offended, knowing that he would react poorly to anyone who inflicted lust on him while he mourned the loss of a lover. “Check on her, please,” Boyd murmured to Silvie as he turned to walk away to put some distance between them. He regretted his preference for going barefoot, as each step stung the burned soles of his feet.
Looking down as he walked revealed that the bottom six inches or so of his greaves had melted a little. Boyd remembered that Tinker had told him how even the leather looking backs of his armor were metal that her machine tricked into looking and behaving like leather. They would probably have to be cut off of him… fantastic.
Boyd walked off a ways before turning to keep an eye on Silvie and Sinoe. Silvie was kneeling down next to Sinoe and rubbing her mostly bare back. Boyd found it easier to keep his eyes from fixating onto the woman from here, so assumed he was out of her range. His Aura certainly shouldn’t reach her without him putting in some effort from this distance.
“Did the drones find the dragon?” Boyd asked into his comms.
“Yes, it is heading east but does not appear to be returning to its nest. I’m sending some of my drones there, as well,” Tinker responded promptly. “Silvie said you were hurt. Are you okay? Should we come with the ship?” She took the opening to fire off several questions.
“No,” Boyd responded. “It isn’t worth the risk. The dragon might be leaving, but this is still the Wild Lands.”
The Last Dragon’s presence would have sent everything nearby into hiding, but that would only last for so long. Boyd was being vigilant, using his Mental Domination to box up the pain from the burns and keep his senses clear. He knew from past experience that he could keep this up for several hours, at least.
“The ship is designed for missions just like this,” Tinker argued.
“Silvie is faster than the ship in atmosphere, especially at these short ranges,” he argued. The ship needed time to get up to speed when not in vacuum. Boyd had reviewed the ship’s specs on Wednesday, along with the basic defensive capabilities of the base. He would fill in the rest of what he needed to know as time went on.
“Silvie will take Sinoe back,” Boyd decided, “when she’s ready and then come back for me—she can do all that before the ship would even get here.”
“Excuse me?” Silvie said over the comms. “Sorry Sinoe my… ah… Boyd is being an idiot.” Silvie had likely been about to say my fiancé but decided against using the term in front of the recently widowed woman.
He watched Silvie stand and take a couple steps in his direction before continuing. “I will certainly not leave you alone out here. You're hurt! Could you even fly if you had to?”
Boyd frowned. “It will only be for a few moments.” Having expected the pushback, he’d already prepared the necessary supporting arguments. “I am injured, that is true. But I have not exhausted my Power, or worse, burned it out. Sinoe might have pushed too hard… and no, you shouldn’t ask just yet. I also did not just lose my spouse. I will be able to maintain my situational awareness and defend myself if I am attacked. I also do not trust my control over my Aura right now—not under her influence. If I did, I would tell you to take us both back to base.”
He turned, scanning the immediate area. “I don’t want to inflict that on her, especially not right now,” he rumbled.
He was too far away to see Silvie’s scowl, but he knew it was there—he didn’t need to check their Bond to know she was furious with him. Boyd knew that she knew he was right to send Sinoe back first, and she hated it.
“Fine,” Silvie snapped, then returned to kneeling beside the grieving woman and providing comfort.
Boyd hoped she was also getting her ready to move.
“She says she wants to talk to you first, just… stay a bit back,” Silvie said after a minute or two.
Boyd trudged his way back over, blocking out the pain each step caused in his feet, ankles, and lower legs. He stopped about fifteen feet away, the same separation Sinoe had maintained the other day when she’d said it was manageable. Silvie turned to give him a fragile smile over her shoulder, but Sinoe kept her back to him.
“Hello, Sinoe,” Boyd rumbled, using just enough volume to carry his deep voice across the distance between them. “I’m sorry for your loss and that we weren’t fast enough.”
“We did not expect you to come, so I will try not hold your tardiness against you—even while everything I am wishes you could have been faster.” Her sweet voice was filled with sorrow. “I wished to apologize for snapping at you, and to thank you for saving me. Silas would have been…” her voice broke for a moment, “so, so grateful.”
“Neither apologies nor thanks are needed,” Boyd rumbled back. “The Devoted will not leave our allies to die when we have the ability to save them. You are both heroes for risking your lives to find the Last Dragon’s nest, and I will make sure Silas is remembered as such. As far as the apology goes, I understand why my presence is not welcome—especially now.
“If Silvie hasn’t mentioned it, I asked her to take you back to our base. It is big enough that we can keep our distance from one another. If you have somewhere else where you won’t be alone, she could take you there instead, if you prefer,” Boyd offered. He would only insist she stay with them if the only other option was leaving her alone. Sinoe would be better served by the company of loved ones or friends, right now.
“Silas and I lived alone due to my… proclivities,” Sinoe responded, her voice still containing a shake. “He was so… patient… You can just leave me here. The mountains are my home now that he is gone.”
Boyd frowned at her back, having a much harder time keeping his eyes on appropriate places of her mostly bared form now that he was closer. “Stay with us for a few days at least. We have rooms where you can be alone the whole time, if that is your wish. I did not know him well, but I doubt Silas would want you to be alone out here right now.” It might be a low blow, using her husband’s memory like that, but Boyd did not want Sinoe to die needlessly because her mind was consumed by her recent loss.
Sinoe’s slender, rich earth-toned, shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath. “You knew him well enough to be correct, it would seem. I will go with you, but I would return to this place once my Power returns to me, to erect a memorial.”
“We will happily assist with that,” Boyd agreed. Few would see it out here in the Wild Lands, but maybe it would bring her comfort.
“Thank you.” Sinoe stood smoothly, and Boyd had to struggle to avert his eyes from where the motion drew them, scolding himself internally. She’d just lost her husband minutes ago. “We should leave before I break.”
“You’re so strong.” Silvie murmured, Boyd picking up the softly spoken words over their comms as she got into position behind Sinoe. “I would have broken already. We’ll be there in just a moment, then we’ll get you behind closed doors.” With that, Silvie blurred away with her passenger.
“Could you please be prepared to receive her, Mindy?” Boyd asked over the comms. “She didn’t look hurt, but Laura should probably check her over.”
“I’m already preparing a room for her,” Mindy replied.
“I’m waiting at the elevator,” Laura stated.
Boyd reminded himself that he was working with professionals and that, as their team leader, it was still good practice to give the orders anyway. If nothing else, it helped him keep his team members' skills in mind.
“Thank you, ladies,” Boyd rumbled softly as he strode forward to look into the fifteen-foot-wide and four-foot-deep trench the pass of dragon’s breath had scoured into the ground. He peered into it, not expecting anything but hoping to find something of Silas—something for Sinoe to bury or use in whatever ritual she wished to mark her husband’s passing.
He noted one of Tinker’s new drones, still bright pink and dinner plate sized, but with three bulb-like protrusions on the bottom in a triangle. They were both faster and tougher than the last iteration, with more sensors as well. It wasn’t suited for combat but had been designed for reconnaissance. Tinker was still settling on a combat effective design; she kept thinking of improvements she wanted to make, so was hesitant to commit to one.
Anything organic in the trench had been completely destroyed, except for an odd stick that protruded from the cooling orange center of the trench. It was odd, not only in that it was a piece of wood that refused to burn while partially submerged in molten stone, but in that it had clearly been shaped. The stick was tapered with a notch cut into the end.
Boyd remembered that Silas had a bow slung over his shoulder when he’d met him but had no idea how it had survived the dragon’s breath. He carefully made his way into the trench, and while the stone was hot enough to sting his already burned feet, it wasn’t enough to cause further damage. He used his long tail to extract the stringless bow, sliding it out of the still soft, though cooling, stone cleanly. It was a beautifully crafted weapon that felt like wood in his hand but must be something more to have survived the energies it did.
“What are you doing?” Silvie asked from behind him, causing him to start. He reminded himself to speak to Tinker about making Silvie a bell she couldn’t remove, so he would always hear her coming—that, or make her carry around a box of Tic-Tac mints.
“I think this was Silas’s bow.” He held up the length of wood with its finely shaped handle and intricate carvings along each limb. “I have no idea how it survived but Sinoe would probably like to have it.”
“You’re so sweet Darling, but your feet are starting to sink into the stone.”
Boyd looked down and confirmed that his feet had already sunk about an inch into the soft stone. Silvie floated down and came in behind him, wrapping him up as she said. “Hold on tight to it.”
Boyd gripped the length of wood as they blurred through the air, arriving back in the cave to find an empty elevator car waiting for them. Silvie set him down and beamed up at him as the doors closed behind them.
“You did good, Darling. Mindy was right to lift the compulsions. I regretted it when we were flying out to face the Last Dragon, but you were right. I’m glad you reminded me to trust you.”
“I just wish we were a little faster,” Boyd sighed, weariness setting in as the adrenaline faded from his system.
